Car body



Dec. 16, 1958 K. WlLFERT 2,864,646

CAR BODY Filed Feb. 23, 1955 Fig. 3

Fig. 4

I INVENTOR KARL WILFERT ATTORNEY United States. Patent CAR BODY Karl Wilfert, Stuttgart-Degerloch, Germany, assignor to Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany Application February 23, 1955, Serial N 0. 490,065

4 Claims. (Cl. 296-28) The present invention relates to a car body, especially for passenger automobiles, comprising two annular lateral supports which are connected to each other and the upper portion of which is of yokelike shape.

It is the principal object of the invention to design a car body of the type as described and in a manner and shape which will considerably simplify the manufacture and installation of the lateral supports and thus reduce the costs of the car.

A principal feature of the invention for attaining such object resides in providing the lateral supports of a lower part of substantially U-shaped design and an upper part of yoke-like shape and fitted thereon. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the lower part of the supports extends to approximately half the height of the entire car body.

A further object of the invention is to design the two parts of the lateral supports of different shape, so that, for example, the lower part may be stronger than the upper part, thus permitting the lateral supports to be strengthened considerably.

Another feature of the invention consists in connecting the two parts of the lateral supports simply by making them of tubular shape and fitting the ends of the upper part into those of the lower part.

Another feature of the invention consists in making the two parts of the lateral supports of different profile, the lowerpart, for example, being of boxlike or U- shaped design and the upper part of tubular shape.

Another object of the invention is to make the two parts of the lateral supports so as to be easily separated from each other, and another feature of the invention consists in providing suitable clamping means for securing the upper part of the supports to the lower part thereof.

Another feature of the invention consists in connecting the lateral supports with each other by combining their upper parts in the longitudinal direction centrally of the roof of the car.

Still anotherfeature of the invention resides in connecting the two lateral supports so that the front and rear arms of the lower parts thereof are each respectively connected by a transverse upper part, and these upper parts, in turn, by at least one longitudinal support.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the supporting unit according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically a side view of a modification of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 2; while Fig. 4 shows a top view of another embodiment of the invention with the upper parts of the lateral supports j PatentedDectIGQ I 2 i 1" being combined along the longitudinal center f t heear roof L Referring-tome drawings in which the same'reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts 'of'all three different embodiments of the invention, the lower part 1 of the lateral supports of the car body 2 of a passenger automobile may be of any suitable design, extending, for example, approximately to half .the height of the entire car body 2. These lower supporting parts 1 are'mounted on each side of the seats of the car within the wall covering of the body 2, substantially enclosing the passenger compartment of the car and rigidly secured to each other by transverse supports 3 and 4. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the two arms of the lower part 1 of the support are bent upwardly at their ends and the middle part thus formed is again bent backward and of a shape so that the center lines of their ends intersect above the roof of the car body 2 approximately in the center thereof. In the two other embodiments of the invention as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the junction of the horizontal lower part 1 with the two arms at the ends thereof is made of arcuate shape, and these arms are bent so that the center lines of their ends also intersect above the roof of the car body 2 approximately at the center thereof. In all three embodiments of the invention the lower supporting part 1 is of tubular construction. However, it is also withinthe scope of the invention to make these parts of a different cross-sectional shape and preferably of boxlike or U- shaped design.

1n the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the ends of a yokelike upper supporting part 5 are fitted ,into the tubular ends of the lower part 1, and secured thereto in asuitable manner, that is, either permanently and rigidly, or easilyrernovable by means of suitable clamps. The two upper supporting parts 5 are preferably likewise of tubular construction but may also be of different profile. to each other by a single transverse support 6 substantialiy at the center of the roof.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3, two transverse, yokelike upper parts 7. which are connected to each other by a central longitudinal support 8 are fitted into the ends of the lower parts 1 of the lateral supports.

Finally, in the embodiment of the invention as shown in Fig. 4 the upper parts 9 of the lateral supports again lie in the lonigtudinal direction of the car, but are de-. signed and shaped so as to come together along the longitudinal center line of the body where they may be secured to each other either permanently or removably.

While I have described my invention with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments or to the specific examples decsribed, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A car body for passenger motor vehicles including a framework, said framework comprising lower parts, each of said lower parts being of annular cross section and formed in the shape of a longitudinally extending U, 1

named legs being rigidly connected with and constituting.

means of support for corresponding'adjacent ones of They preferably are rigidly secured said last-named legs, each of said lower parts being of greater strength than said upper parts.

'2. A car body according to claim 1, wherein said upper parts converge toward each other and are provided with interconnecting means.

3. A car body according to claim 1, wherein said upper parts are connected by-means extending longitudi 4. A car body according to claim 1, in which said up parts midway of their ends.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lee Oct. 31, 1939 Ford Jan. 13, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS France Ian. 29, 1947 Germany Dec. 17, 1951 Great Britain 1896 

